HARROGATE, Tenn. – This is part three of a four-part series previewing the upcoming 2015-16 Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball season. For this portion of the preview, we examine the Railsplitters' backcourt which features two preseason All-SAC selections and a Division I transfer.
 
A seismic shift at the NBA and collegiate level has seen the focus of the most effective offenses altered. While offenses of yore preferred a slow, methodical pace that ran through lumbering giants in the paint, present-day offenses - like the 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors - play a more guard-oriented, free-wheeling and up-tempo style of basketball that values spacing, three-point shooting and creating high-quality, uncontested buckets in the cracks opened up by those two things.
 
The Railsplitters have been at the forefront of that philosophical shift, and they will once again be led by an excellent collection of guards that should be considered among the deepest and most talented backcourts in the country.
 
The Railsplitters led the SAC and ranked seventh in the nation in three-point field goal efficiency last season by pouring in 41.5 percent of their three-point attempts while ranking 58th in Division II with 246 made three-pointers, and there is nothing to indicate that Lincoln Memorial can't match or exceed those numbers with the roster in place for the 2015-16 campaign.
 
Sharpshooters Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) and Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) headline the list of returning talent, as both were selected to the preseason All-SAC team after ranking first and third for the Railsplitters in scoring last season.
 
Choice - a 2014-15 All-SAC first team pick as well as a NABC and Daktronics All-Southeast Region honoree - led the Railsplitters with 14.9 points per game last season, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 41 percent from three. Widely considered one of the deadliest shooters in the nation, Choice broke Lincoln Memorial's single-season record and ranked 11th in the country by knocking down 100 three-pointers, becoming just the third player in South Atlantic Conference history to make 100-plus threes. Choice added 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while leading the Railsplitters with 37 steals.
 
In his first season with the Railsplitters after transferring from Brevard College, Simmons made 33 appearances off the bench, turning in 10.5 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting and a 43.6 percent mark from three-point territory. The Accokeek, Md. native ranked 16th in the SAC in made three-point baskets with 51 while ranking third in three-point field goal percentage. Simmons shot 47.3 percent from three-point range in SAC contests, leading the league in that category. He also contributed 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
 
"Both of those guys are ready to have terrific seasons," LMU men's basketball coach Josh Schertz said of Choice and Simmons. "(Luquon) comes into the season in almost a perfect spot from a coaching standpoint, where he has confidence based on what he accomplished last year and probably a bit of a chip on his shoulder based on how last year finished. That's a great place to be. He really worked hard to improve and diversify his game offensively. He's learned to score at all three levels and he really worked hard to improve his body this summer. Lou is a guy that has always cared deeply; he's high character and wants to do well and wants the team to do well."
 
"Gerel finished last year as well as anybody," Schertz added. "He was really probably our best player during the stretch run of the season. He's an outstanding competitor, has a great work ethic and comes in every day and really works to impact winning. He's a joy to coach and be around. He can score the ball and he's worked hard to become a better defender."
 
Choice, Simmons and the rest of the Railsplitters' already-loaded backcourt will get a huge boost with the addition of Mississippi State transfer and Fulton High School graduate Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.), who is expected to fill the starting spot vacated with the graduation of 2014-15 South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Lorenza Ross.
 
After an unfortunate series of events cut Steele's career at Mississippi State short, the Knoxville, Tenn. product has opted to stay close to home and play his final season with the Railsplitters. As a sophomore in Starkville, Miss., Steele appeared in all 33 games for the Bulldogs, averaging 8.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game while burying 70 three-pointers on a 39.3 percent clip. Steele ranked second for the Bulldogs with 10.1 points per game as a junior (2012-13), but was limited to 18 games due to injuries. Prior to beginning his collegiate career, Steele led nearby Fulton High to Class AA state championships in 2008 and 2009.
 
"Jalen had a really good preseason. When you come in as a transfer, particularly in this situation where you just have one year, we vetted him hard to see if he's a good fit," Schertz said of Steele. "And he's done an amazing job of acclimating to the program and ingratiating himself with his teammates. You watch him on the floor and off the floor, and he embodies all of the qualities that you want. He gives respect, the guys respect him, and he's a guy that feels responsible to the group. He wants to be coached and improve, and I think he's going to have an outstanding senior year."
 
That three-headed monster will be backed by veterans Tim Pierce (Albany, Ga.) and Curtis Webb (Spartanburg, S.C.). Pierce shot 50.7 percent from the field last season while averaging 6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The 6-2 senior buried 27 of his 62 three-point tries for a 43.5 percent mark. Webb, meanwhile, produced 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game as a redshirt sophomore, shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range. His 24 made three-pointers ranked fourth on the team last season.
 
"Statistically, Curtis (Webb) is a guy that's maybe not that impressive, but I don't really care about his stats because that guy impacts winning," Schertz said. "He does all the things that lead to winning, the little things that go unnoticed. You name it and he puts his fingerprints on it. He's been a big part of our success and with him numbers are irrelevant." 
 
Carlee Clemons (Raleigh, N.C.), who redshirted last season, Javier Gonzalez (Fayetteville, N.C.), Devin Hankins (Huntsville, Ala.) and Hunter Spaw (Bean Station, Tenn.) should help increase the Railsplitters' backcourt depth. Spaw made 17 appearances last season and shot 40.7 percent from three, while Gonzalez hit seven of his 12 three-point attempts over the course of 14 appearances. Hankins handed out 14 assists in 18 outings as a redshirt freshman.
 
True freshman guard Timothy Taylor (Stanford, Ky.) is also expected to contribute immediately for the Railsplitters after a dazzling prep career at Lincoln County High School, where he was an All-District and All-Region selection. Taylor compiled a school and state record 982 assists during his four-year tenure at Lincoln County, helping lead his team to back-to-back district titles as a junior and senior. The 5-10 point guard averaged 15 points and 10 assists per game in his final prep season.
 
The LMU men's basketball 2015-16 season preview culminates on Thursday.